Back in class

I'm taking my creative writing class again this semester. I really enjoyed it so much last year that I figured I would take it again...especially since one is allowed to take it twice. One other student from last semester is also taking it again, so I'm not alone.

Last semester, the teacher had us write the first portion of a longer story. I did. She complimented my original work the first day of class last week, and noted that I was hoping to write the second half this semester. I figure the class will help push me into actually sitting down to write instead of blowing it off for that rainy weekend.

Anyway, I need help. I have a story arc that I'm not quite sure how to finish. I have three possible ideas, but I'm not sure which arc is best to fulfill the general sense the story is encompassing.

One of the main characters is a transsexual near the beginning of transition. Go figure, huh? Another of the main characters is a man who has a little trouble dating. At the beginning of the story, he's totally in love with this UPS girl, but she blows him off. The love starved man first meets the T while both are male and become decent friends. Later, the love starved man ends up having sex with one of the T's friends who he doesn't realize is T. That, along with his brother coming out as being gay really throws him for a loop. After that tough period for him, though, he finally starts dating the UPS girl via some of his own life lessons. My trouble is how to end it from here.

1. He ends up marrying the UPS girl that he always cherished.

2. He ends up with the T he had sex with, realizing that he doesn't care about her past.

3. He ends up with the T that is transitioning after finally seeing her as female instead of the male he once knew.

I figure option number 1 is more mainstream touchy feely. Option 2 shows more of the life that the transitioning T can see in the future. And Option 3 is more LGBT touchy feely.

I realize the people that read this will likely be more oriented to options 2 or 3, but I wanted to see how some might respond.

Entertainment Tonite

I received an email today that mentioned two programs on tonite. One is a new episode on Dr. Phil that involves gender issues. From what I gather, it will be on an MTF, an FTM, a CD, and a youth with AIS.

Now, I'm not a big fan of Dr. Phil, but we'll see what he says. A friend or two mentioned the same concern I have, and supposedly they checked out his website for the promotion. They believe they're just using the stories for sensationalism. I guess we'll have to watch to see.

One of the stories supposedly deals with a 37 year old mom that transitions to living as a man...and since the dad is bisexual, their family is still going quite well. Interesting.

Someone also mentioned that tonite's episode of the Tyra Banks show deals with gender issues as well. It looks like it is a repeat on my TV schedule, but the website shows it to be a new show about something different. I'm not sure.

Geraldine

I caught this cute video called Geraldine (approx 10 minutes, Rated PG-13 by Kara for brief cartoon nudity) on YouTube yesterday. It's about a boy who wakes up to find he is a girl. I won't tell you exactly what happens, but as usual, the boy ends up being a fairly attractive girl. By day two, "she" is already doing fairly well with her new body.

While this is likely a dream come true for most transgender people, I wonder how non-transgender people would really react to the situation. What would happen if a regular guy were suddenly made a very attractive woman? Yeah, yeah, he likely wouldn't leave the house for a while, but you wonder how things would go.

I mean, when I had SRS, there were plenty of guys I talked to that had no want or need to talk about how my penis was going to be removed. It scared most of them. After the surgery, I told my dad that it actually didn't hurt that bad...and he said, "Well, that would hurt me a lot." I think he was talking more about the psychological pain than the physical pain. For me, there really wasn't any psychological pain involved, although, I will admit that I do miss certain aspects of having it...but I think I've hit on that before.

So, what if a guy were suddenly a hot chick? It might be a sexual fantasy for many, but I wonder how they would do in the long run. What if they were just an average girl...or, gasp, a fat chick? What if a woman were turned into a stunning man? Or just an average man, or, gasp, a fat bastard? While some men may be turned on to having breasts and being pretty, they might also miss having a penis. While some women may feel powerful with strong male muscles, would they feel uncomfortable actually having a penis and body hair? Would they feel weird having the wrong hormones hit their brain. While many people may see the sexual side of this transformation, I think many miss the effect hormones have on us. I seriously think that Testosterone was probably one of the key factors attributing to my GID. It's a nasty drug, and while it has left its mark, it has also shaped me into who I am today...both physically and psychologically.

So, if there are any non-transgender people out there reading this blog, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how you might survive in the body of the opposite gender? What would you love? What would you hate? What do you think you could deal with? Would you conform to your new gender role, or would you continue to live the way you currently live? Could you handle sitting or standing up to use the restroom? Do you think you would be a better man / woman than most simply because you were initially the opposite sex to begin with?

Inquiring minds want to know. =)

EDIT: I posted the question on Yahoo to see what non-transgender people would say. The results fit along a lot of the lines I mentioned here.